CLOSE
Hundreds of people gathered in Lafayette Park near the White House after marching in the nation’s capital to protest against the death of George Floyd while in police custody. (May 29)
AP Domestic
WASHINGTON – Protesters clashed with police outside the White House and in multiple sections of the nation’s capital Saturday as the demonstrations grew more confrontational in their second day even as President Donald Trump threatened to shut down “mob violence.”
Even as they halted traffic on the Capital Beltway and shouted obscenities at the fleet of presidential helicopters that carried Trump back to the White House, the protesters scattered throughout the city remained mostly peaceful. At one point they were joined by former presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
But there were also signs of increased tension as the protesters marched to call attention to the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody after a white officer pinned him to the ground under his knee. Some threw bottles at Secret Service agents and police near the White House. Officers responded multiple times to break up the crowds or push them back after they had broken through barriers.
Police wearing helmets and holding shields formed a line between the protesters and the White House. At times, some protesters tried to knock over temporary barriers or approached officers, although none appeared to approach the tall fence at the White House.
“Multiple” special agents and uniformed officers were injured when some protesters threw bricks, rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, officials said.
Trump attended the historic SpaceX rocket launch in Florida during the afternoon, but returned to the White House on Marine One at around 8:30 p.m.As the presidential helicopters returned to the White House grounds some demonstrators shouted obscenities and shook their fists.
Trump used his address at the Kennedy Space Center to offer a stern warning to “rioters, looters and anarchists” against violence.
“My administration will stop mob violence and we’ll stop it cold,” Trump said, blaming violence in several cities on “radical left-wing” groups. “I will not allow angry mobs to dominate…It is essential that we protect the crown jewel of democracy: The rule of law.”
The D.C. protests were part of many nationwide that erupted against police brutality and racial discrimination. At least two deaths were linked to demonstrations. Protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and clashed with police officers dressed in riot gear in cities including Atlanta; New York; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and Oakland, Calif.
Attorney General Barr: Peaceful protests over George Floyd ‘hijacked’ by ‘far left extremist groups’
Outside the White House, officers wearing plastic body shields charged and pushed back a crowd people of who had removed metal barriers set up on Pennsylvania Avenue. A police helicopter circled overhead. Videos from the scene appeared to show police firing pepper spray at demonstrators after asking them to move back. The smell of marijuana also hung in the air.
“Trump is the reason why cops feel they can do certain things to black people,” said Cameron Jackson, 25, a D.C. supervisor at a grocery store, as he stood in the middle of 16th Street. “He condones it. He is a racist.”
But Jackson opposed violence.
“I’m peaceful,” he said. “I’m away from the violence.”
Dave Pringle, 32, who works on criminal justice policy in D.C., also condemned Trump.
“This man – this occupant of this building – represents the worst of humanity,” Pringle said. “I think he is an avatar of the worst of humanity.”
Six people were arrested near Lafayette Square on Friday and early Saturday, according to the Secret Service, which said it “respects the right to assemble, and we ask that individuals do so peacefully for the safety of all.”
CLOSE
At an event at the White House, President Trump is asked about demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, and his conversation with Floyd’s family
USA TODAY
Although Secret Service agents and police carrying shields blocked off Lafayette Square north of the White House, drivers passing by honked in support of the protesters and some drivers raised their fists in the air in support. Some demonstrators held up signs that read: “Stop Murdering Black People” and “White Silence is Violence.”
“I came here to enforce the Black Lives Matter movement and to get justice for the injustices we have been receiving for over hundreds of years,” said Ariel Weems, a 16-year-old high school student from Bowie, Maryland.
She called Trump part of the problem.
“I don’t agree with any of his policies,” Weems said. “His Twitter comments? Shooting and looting? That was absurd … we’re out here protesting for our lives.”
People continued to join the crowd Saturday afternoon despite the 80-degree heat. Some people moved through the crowds, passing out bottles of water, and because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, masks were also distributed. Most of the demonstrators were wearing masks but were also fewer than six feet away from each other.
Jake Schindler, 26, was one of several people handing out water bottles to the crowd. As a white man, Schindler said his Christian faith “called him” to justice. After running by the protest earlier in the afternoon and seeing others giving out water, he came back with a case of water bottles to distribute.
James Bryant, a 30-year-old D.C. resident, said he felt “like he needed to show up as a black man in America.” The protests, he said, were part of a “collective anger” that Americans can’t ignore.
Asked if he was worried about tensions between the crowd and the cordon of police, he shrugged and said, “they’re just people.”
By early evening, after clashes around 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, some protesters marched to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Along the route, a Wells Fargo bank branch had “capitalism is murder” painted on it, while references to the police and to Floyd were sprayed on the ground.
Bowser and Trump: DC Mayor Bowser responds to Trump’s criticism over police after George Floyd protests
Corey Gwynn, a 27-year-old speech pathologist from Alexandria, Virginia, told USA TODAY she had joined the protest because she was “upset about the lack of equality,” especially as people had peacefully protested for so long “with no change.”
Asked what she thought of the protests around the country, some of which turned violent, she said she “can’t blame her brothers and sisters, but that’s not the way I’m going about it.”
“Merchandise can be replaced, but black lives can’t,” she said.
Floyd, 46, died Monday evening, shortly after video footage showed him handcuffed, gasping for air and saying “I can’t breathe,” as a white officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. The video, taken by a bystander, circulated online and prompted widespread protests nationwide.
Who was George Floyd? George Floyd remembered as ‘gentle giant’ as family calls his death ‘murder’
George Floyd death in Minneapolis:‘Why can’t I just be black in the state of Minnesota?’
The Minneapolis Police Department fired four officers involved in the incident while state and federal authorities have launched investigations into the matter. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was arrested Friday and is facing third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Subsequent charges are possible and charges for the other officers involved are anticipated, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Contributing: Kristine Phillips, Bart Jansen, Maureen Groppe, Matthew Brown
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/30/george-floyd-protests-tensions-outside-white-house-trump-florida/5293703002/
